


Iridescent

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Written For Karl, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 04:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3514592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the moonlight, Reiner is a hulking black shadow. The tears in Eren's bright eyes are not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Iridescent

It had come to happen often. In a strange show of sympathy, while Captain Levi was on watch, he would let him out. He had two hours in the nighttime air, and only on clear, moonlit nights close to the castle. The jailbreaks became less frequent when the new arrivals appeared, but he was far from angry. 

"Go."

Levi never said anything to him, usually. Just a look from those stony grey eyes, hardened like steel from never unseeing something: just a flash of recognition and honesty in the hatred of confinement. After all, Levi was a creature of flight. 

"Why?"

He didn't know why he was pushing his luck with this, why he would ask such a compromising question.

"There's a full moon." Levi's gaze was sharp.  _Take a moment._

"And if it's dark?"  _For what?_

The shorter man pulled the cell door open regardless, calmly undoing the shackles. "Dark's a good place to look at things you can't see."

And with that, the small man disappeared. 

* * *

This was his first time after the Survey Corps had come to fully camp at the castle that he'd been let out. And what a puzzle he'd been left with. The moon was, indeed, full and very bright, too. So, naturally, Eren seated himself on the edge of a tower, one eye lit but the moon and the other cloaked in shadow. 

What to do with himself, what to do.

_Monster._

Hmm. He wondered if Mikasa would be awake. But, then, that would involve going inside the castle where he would be caught. 

_Demon._

Armin was always a light sleeper, but his friend had a hard enough time sleeping already. No need for Eren to disturb that.

_We should kill him, save ourselves._

Not horse-face either, eugh. Was he really so lonely to seek out the company of  _Jean_?

_Keep him in the dung- basement. That way he can't transform._

Maybe he was. Daylight always made him feel better, made his dark world seem a little brighter. Perhaps Levi was right. 

_We should throw him from the walls-_

"I didn't realize that you had a longer curfew than the rest of us with how early you disappear every night."

Eren looked up into the moon, a tall, hulking shadow blocking out most of it. 

_-see him get up from that._

"Eren?"

_-he's a symbol of death-_

* * *

He didn't know how long the smaller teen had been there, but right now, that was the last thing on his mind. Tears streamed from those gorgeous eyes, straining his flawless tan skin. 

"Eren . . . "

A shiver ripped from the younger male. Carefully, he lowered himself and wrapped his arms around the teen. 

"It's okay."

Blankly, Eren stared, but let the hulking blonde pull him in. His fingers twined in the grass below him and wound in with the ones on his shoulders. 

* * *

"Which am I?"

Levi looked at him through the bars. "If you have to ask, you haven't looked hard enough."

* * *

This time the blonde was waiting there for him. 

"Eren . . . What happened?"

"Last time?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know."

"Did you feel better after that?"

His eyes met the golden ones once more. "What do you mean?"

The other stepped into the moonlight, his pale skin shining dully and his blonde hair muted. He smiled knowingly, his hand reaching out to stroke down the thinning cheek. "You can tell me, Eren. I promise not to breathe a word of it to anyone."

"Thanks, Reiner."

* * *

Levi left the keys on his nightstand.

* * *

It was dark tonight. The moon was completely gone, a black mark on the starlit sky. Reiner was leaning against the tower, arms wrapped around Eren, his head resting on the smaller teen's. 

"Will you ever tell me?"

Eren smiled and shook his head. "No."

"Why?"

"You're not like me." He half-turned and kissed the underside of Reiner's clenched jaw. 

"We're more similar than you think." Reiner replied softly, knuckles tracing gently down Eren's arm.

Eren let the comment go. He nuzzled back to Reiner, letting the larger teen's heat soak into his skin.

"Eren?"

"Mmm?"

"How do you keep getting out of your cell?"

"Levi's not as scary as you think he is."

"Have you cracked your head one too many times already?"

Eren laughed and elbowed him. "You just don't know Levi." 

"Uh-huh. So who is it really? Hanji?"

Eren rolled his eyes and laid back, his eyes closing and his body relaxing. It was surprising how comforting a little human contact and fresh air could be . . . 

* * *

Eren blinked awake to a wood paneled ceiling and Levi's face. If not for the blank expression on his Captain's face, he might have jerked right out of bed and taken the older man wrapped around him with him. Levi held up a single key and raised his eyebrow before setting it down on the table. 

"You have an hour." Levi said, silently turning and exiting the room. Eren rolled over and faced Reiner, watching with a stupid grin on his face. The larger teen peeked open an eye. 

"Morning, sleepy. Levi was standing over you for nearly twenty minutes. I think he might have been trying to will you awake." Reiner murmured. 

"Think it worked?" Eren asked. 

Reiner snorted. "You woke up, didn't you?"

"You sure you didn't have anything to do with it? No secret sessions in the night?" Eren teased, grinning.

Reiner turned red and ducked his head down. "Stop that, you little pervert."

Eren's grin lessened to a tender, affectionate smile. He pressed light butterfly kisses along the bridge of Reiner's nose before he got out of bed. "It was nice to wake up in an actual bed over a prison cot."

"You're welcome in my bed anytime."

Eren's grin came back. "Oh really?"

Reiner was red again. "That's not what I meant!"

* * *

 

The laugh Eren left him with followed him the rest of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
